Find the top rated hiking trails in Dunkirk, whether you're looking for an easy short hiking trail or a long hiking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a hiking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
_224641_st.jpg)
We are camping at Lampe and can travel West or South on this trail along the Bayfront. Going WEST, the is currently a lot of construction, but when done should be a nice improvement. I like this western part as it travels along the bayfront and around Frontier park. Many good sights and watering holes. Sloppy Duck one of them. It also connects via a marked bike path to Presque Isle Drive to the beautiful 13 plus paved trail around the Peninsula.
Now, leaving the campground and heading south towards Behrend Campus is a different story. The first 2 or 3 miles is through the eastern part of the city. Traffic noise as you're right adjacent to the Bayfront highway. You will see a lot of decay from past industries. The trail itself is littered with trash and weed growth. Today, I was passed by two gas powered motorcycles, like dirt bikes going at a high rate of speed. There is little to no law enforcement. And no upkeep. I have encountered broken glass and drug paraphernalia in the past amongst the trash. About 3 miles out the trail leaves the jurisdiction of Erie and once into Millcreek becomes very nice and well maintained. Erie is a bike friendly town and does a great job with their bike trails other than this section going south from the bayfront to about 38th street. This section goes through an urban rundown area and is completely neglected.
Recently resurfaced, the entire trail is smooth asphalt that circles the Presque Isle peninsula. Plenty of parking along the beginning of the trail . We rode in the morning and trail was mostly shaded. Nice stopping points. Would also recommend to take a small detour towards the Coast Guard station and see the grandfathered bay housing and the lighthouse point of the bay channel. Well done PA, this is a flagship trail.
We traveled 90 minutes for a group ride here. It was a warm and sunny summer day, there isn't a whole lot of shade. The entire state park is virtually flat, as is the trail. Newly repaved asphalt within the last year or so. The bike path is approx 13 miles in length. We went extra on the roads to make it 20. We chose to ride on a weekday. Less crowds, not as many on the trail. Since it was so hot, the beaches that were open were crowded! Always an enjoyable ride on this trail, the key word is "weekday"!
We didn’t ride it all the way to Buffalo. We rode to Whirlpool State Park from Fort Niagara State Park. Stopped in Lewiston for an appetizer and beverage on the way back.
Visited Erie on a whim to do this trail and it did not disappoint. I biked from my hotel by the Pier millennium tower to the park. For the most part it was easy because there was a bike trail but it was also a little confusing when I got to the intersection which I should have turned (not clearly indicating to turn toward the isle) so I went 4 miles out of my way. Once I got on the island there was a separate bike path throughout the park. It was flat and beautiful ride. Stopped at one of the beaches to get my feet wet since it was 95 degrees out and stopped and did the tour of the lighthouse. This was definitely worth visiting Erie to do. Found my way back to the hotel much easier (without going out of my way). Only time I was actually on the road with cars was near Waldameer Park and for the most part felt safe since the speed limit was 25 MPH. If you are visiting Erie, definitely worth the ride. I think it would be really cool to watch the sunset over lake Erie from the island.
Beautiful trail. Well maintained. Headed west from Henrietta first, a little secluded. Only went about 2 miles then headed east to lock 33. Felt safer going east. Full of exercise traffic… love to see that!
The PA portion is a decent greenway. The instant you cross into NY you see evidence of vandalism, 4-wheelers nearly run you over (they don’t slow down), multiple rotting deer carcasses dumped on the trail, piles of garbage, horrendous ruts & puddles from ATVs and my personal favorite: 2 young Amish having sex in the middle of the path. it was not the experience I was expecting at all! Do better New York!
The trail is very poorly marked! The area around Behrend campus and also Lampe Campground near the channel are very nice. The rest is simply urban riding. But it’s better than nothing if you live in the Erie area.
I have seen so much wild life on this path. Turkeys, Deer snd many different bird species. So calming.
The first few miles of the trail, as you enter the park, have been plowed and salted. It's down to the asphalt for miles but a few icy snowy spots here and there. The bay side of the lake is frozen over with ice fisherman out there. On the other side, facing Canada, there are ice dunes and the ice is frozen for as far as you can see from the shoreline. A beautiful state park to visit all 4-seasons.
I have hiked several sections of the trail. Parts are still ungroomed while others are packed stone. The Orchard Park strip has parking at the old train station and is packed stone for biking or hiking. Beyond Jewitt Holmwood the trail is the old rail bed and is a bit rough in spots but still a beautiful and easy hike.
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
Map Search
_0_st.jpg)
